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I live in the U.S., and I've been surprised to hear from several people I know that their kids refused to learn to drive and get a driver's license. They all l

by dkarl 7y ago

I live in the U.S., and I've been surprised to hear from several people I know that their kids refused to learn to drive and get a driver's license. They all live in the suburbs, so it's utterly impractical and in every case took their parents completely by surprise. Their reasoning is, driving is harmful and passé and everybody knows we should live in dense cities and take public transit. They've never lived in a place where it's practical, but the place and way they live already seems like a relic of the past to them. To me it's stunning how powerful that presumption is, that suburban teenagers will forgo the independence that a car would give them because they perceive it as a relic of an age when people didn't know better. It gives me a lot of hope that in the future there will be political support for more radical changes than we've seen up to now. I love where these kids' idea of normal is at. However, it also makes me afraid of the degree of political and cultural polarization we're headed towards.

kqr 7y ago
> the independence that a car would give them If the car incentivises continued population of sparse suburbs, making them even more dependent on car travel, is it truly independence?
ghaff 7y ago
There have been some changes in attitudes. But give them a few years. Most kids in college don't have cars anyway. And, when they graduate, they may find not being able to drive rather limits job opportunities. Most people aren't in the position of some tech workers who can pretty much pick and choose based on where they want to live. It's not just about owning a car. A lot of even white collar jobs depend on driving. (Think just about any sales job for example [that involves meeting with customers].) Leaving aside for a moment all the recreational and social activities I would have missed out over my life by not driving, I've had jobs where I absolutely needed to drive.
- ClumsyPilot 7y ago
  Its not so much about owning a car, as it is about using it daily for commute. And cities should be designed in such a way that it's not necessary - all residential areas in prague, including suburbs, are covered by public transport. It is much cheaper to use, than owning and maintaining a car. That what the whole planning process is for.
u801e 7y ago
Suburban teenagers also haven't been exposed to the realities of life. In my case, there simply isn't enough time to go to all the places I need to go on weekday mornings and get to work given the among of distance I have to cover if I were to ride my bike with the trailer and child seat as opposed to driving my car.

by dkarl 7y ago

kqr 7y ago

> the independence that a car would give them If the car incentivises continued population of sparse suburbs, making them even more dependent on car travel, is it truly independence?

ghaff 7y ago

There have been some changes in attitudes. But give them a few years. Most kids in college don't have cars anyway. And, when they graduate, they may find not being able to drive rather limits job opportunities. Most people aren't in the position of some tech workers who can pretty much pick and choose based on where they want to live. It's not just about owning a car. A lot of even white collar jobs depend on driving. (Think just about any sales job for example [that involves meeting with customers].) Leaving aside for a moment all the recreational and social activities I would have missed out over my life by not driving, I've had jobs where I absolutely needed to drive.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago
Its not so much about owning a car, as it is about using it daily for commute. And cities should be designed in such a way that it's not necessary - all residential areas in prague, including suburbs, are covered by public transport. It is much cheaper to use, than owning and maintaining a car. That what the whole planning process is for.

u801e 7y ago

Suburban teenagers also haven't been exposed to the realities of life. In my case, there simply isn't enough time to go to all the places I need to go on weekday mornings and get to work given the among of distance I have to cover if I were to ride my bike with the trailer and child seat as opposed to driving my car.